Passenger's Mike Rosenberg on sudden fame: 'Your whole world twists slightly and you have to make sure you react in a good way'

In the midst of a world tour, days off are few and far between for folk singer Mike Rosenberg. But even then, Rosenberg, who performs under the stage name Passenger, doesn't find them very relaxing.

"Days off at the moment are still full of work," he said from a recent tour stop in Minneapolis.

There are TV and radio appearances, interviews and video shoots — all related to the tour that will keep him on the road until February of next year.

A majority of the shows sold out months in advance, including Rosenberg's stop at the Crystal Ballroom on Tuesday, Sept. 9.

Rosenberg has been on the go since early 2013 when "Let Her Go," off his fourth album, "All the Little Lights," exploded seemingly overnight.

After an at times frustratingly slow 10 years of busking (he continues to do street performances for fans before shows when his schedule permits), Rosenberg, 30, wasn't quite prepared for the sudden fame.

"Before it happened to me, I'd look at other people who had become really successful and think 'What a dream. That must be absolutely everything they ever wanted,' " he said. "When it does happen to you, you realize yes, it's incredible. But it also comes with a bit of a weird aftertaste.

"Your whole world twists slightly and you have to make sure you react in a good way."

Rather than let that twist completely overwhelm him, Rosenberg used it as motivation to keep the momentum going. He opened for fellow Brit Ed Sheeran for the better part of a year, which Rosenberg called a "brilliant learning experience," and began working on his fifth album, "Whispers."

The album, which was released in June, is a journey across the spectrum of emotions one can experience in a lifetime, including frustration ("27," "Scare Away the Dark"), love ("Heart's On Fire"), loss ("Bullets") and remorse ("Riding To New York").

"My point is that life isn't just miserable, melancholy and sad," Rosenberg said of the album's emotional balance. "It's also insane and brilliant and wonderful. From a songwriter's point of view, I think you've got to try and get all of that across."

"There's a bit of me that was a bit worried ("Let Her Go") would be big for a year then everyone would bugger off again," he said with a laugh. "It feels like it's a really solid, loyal fanbase full of lovely people. I feel very, very lucky."

-- Azaria Podplesky, Special to The Oregonian

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Passenger

With: Stu Larsen and The Once

When: Tuesday, September 9; doors open at 8 p.m. doors, show at 9 p.m.